Gorgias

In 427 B.C., the Ancient Greek city-state of Athens was flourishing.  Approximately 80 years earlier, the Athenians had formed the first self-representative democracy in history, the Peloponnesian War against Sparta had only just started, and Socrates was only beginning to lay the foundation of what would become Western philosophy.  That year Plato was born to a wealthy family: with an uncle who was close friends with Socrates, Plato was seemingly destined to become a philosopher.  By the end of his life, Plato had indeed become the foremost philosopher of his time, and perhaps the most famous philosopher in Western history.

Plato’s Gorgias is a Socratic Dialogue in which Plato sets the rhetorician in opposition to the philosopher. The art of persuasion was widely considered necessary for political and legal advantage in classical Athens.  This edition is specially formatted with over a dozen pictures of Plato and other famous Ancient Greek philosophers. It also includes a Table of Contents for easier navigation.